What are the disadvantages of using mercury in a thermometer?

What are the disadvantages of using mercury in a thermometer?

Disadvantages

  • It is highly toxic for living beings and the environment if the bulb breaks and mercury leaks out.
  • Mercury is difficult to clean, and it can contaminate the surface on which it leaked.
  • It cannot measure cold temperatures.
  • It has low thermal co-efficient.

What are disadvantages of mercury?

The Weaknesses or the disadvantages of Mercury: It cannot measure very low temperature, because its freezing point is high (-40ºC) Mercury is poisonous, so it harmful if its tube is broken. Its price is very high.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of mercury as thermometric liquid?

-It is a good conductor of heat and therefore the whole liquid reaches the temperature of the surroundings quickly. -It does not wet (cling to the sides of) the tube. -It expands uniformly (linear expansion) and responds quickly to temperature changes, hence is sensitive. -It has a visible meniscus.

What are the disadvantages of using mercury and alcohol thermometer write at least 2 disadvantages of both?

Difference between Advantages And Disadvantages Of Mercury And Alcohol Thermometer

Advantages Disadvantages
lower freezing point (-1140C) less durable (alcohol evaporates)
larger coefficient of expansion alcohol can polymerise
less hazardous fluid loss by evaporation hard to avoid
lower boiling point (600C)

What are the disadvantages of laboratory thermometer?

The disadvantages are that they break easily and there is risk of mercury poisoning if the glass tube breaks.

What are the disadvantages of clinical thermometer?

The advantages of these types of thermometers is that they are cheap, easy to read, can be submerged in liquids, require very little maintenance and are reliable. The disadvantages are that they break easily and there is risk of mercury poisoning if the glass tube breaks.

What are the advantages of using mercury as a thermometric substance?

The reasons for using mercury as a thermometric liquid are the following:

  • It expands uniformly when heated.
  • It has low specific heat capacity.
  • I has a high boiling point (357 °C) and a low freezing point (-39 °C).
  • It is a good conductor of heat.
  • It does not stick to the walls of the glass tube.

What are the disadvantages of alcohol as a thermometric liquid?

it has low boiling point and higher freezing point and has poor thermal conductivity.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of clinical thermometer?

Why mercury is used in thermometer?

Mercury is the only one in liquid state at room temperature. It’s used in thermometers because it has high coefficient of expansion. Hence, the slightest change in temperature is notable when it’s used in a thermometer. It also has a high boiling point which makes it very suitable to measure higher temperatures.

Does laboratory thermometer have mercury?

Laboratory thermometers A laboratory thermometer has a long stem with a silver bulb at the end. The silver color in the bulb usually means there is mercury in it. Mercury becomes bigger as the temperature becomes hotter. But mercury is a poison to humans.

What is advantage and disadvantage of thermometer?

The advantages of digital thermometers are that they are inexpensive, easy to read, require very little maintenance and give an accurate reading. The disadvantage is that they get damaged easily if dropped and the battery powering them eventually runs out.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of mercury as a thermometric liquid?

Advantages of Mercury as a thermometric liquid. -It is a good conductor of heat and therefore the whole liquid reaches the temperature of the surroundings quickly. -It does not wet (cling to the sides of) the tube. -It expands uniformly (linear expansion) and responds quickly to temperature changes, hence is sensitive.

What is Mercury and why is it dangerous?

Mercury is a shiny, silver metal which exists in liquid state at normal temperature. You must have seen it in the bulb of a simple household thermometer. Mercury is a very dangerous environmental containment even in very small quantities. Even a spill from a household thermometer can be quite harmful.

Can you see mercury in a thermometer?

You must have seen it in the bulb of a simple household thermometer. Mercury is a very dangerous environmental containment even in very small quantities. Even a spill from a household thermometer can be quite harmful. As it turns into very small droplets on falling on floor, which are very hard to collect.

What is the difference between alcohol thermometer and mercury thermometer?

It is more durable than alcohol thermometer because mercury does not evaporate easily. It is smaller in size as compared to alcohol one. Mercury does not wet the wall of the thermometer, which means that results can be highly accurate. Read about it: How magnetic forces at a distance make things work?